So Frustrating, but im sure its not just me

[M3opa]

Hello all, So, over the last few weeks my dream recall has been through the roof with them also becoming more vivid. Last night i had the most infuriating dream. Mid way through i had a feeling i was dreaming although i didn't become lucid. And it gets worse. from this point on i did 2 reality checks (both of which failed) and even asked my DC who i was with "should i tell a DC if i'm dreaming?" to which they replied "No you shouldn't" at further points in the dream my DC's kept hinting to me by saying stuff like "it wont matter if its a dream will it?" and still i didn't become lucid. There was just no realization. Only the thought that it could be. On top of this i had 3 FA in a row this morning!! Question is, have others experienced this and is it just the start of what could be to come? I feel like i'm getting closer and closer to that elusive first LD but wow did this frustrate me! M3opa

[Sivason]

You should be pleased. It is a great sign that you are close. Maybe you could explain what RCs failed and why?

[M3opa]

I tried to push my fingers through my hand but it didn't go through and i could not breath through my nose whilst pinching it. This was the very first time i have ever attempted a RC in a dream. I don't know whether that would have anything to do with it.

[Shrek]

Wow that blows. First time I did the finger palm RC it worked perfectly. Try thinking deeply about if you are in a dream during the next RC, I heard trying to change an object works as a good RC, like try to change an apple to an orange, or try to hover. "If this was a dream that Apple would turn into an orange, or that bench could light on fire" stuff like that

[M3opa]

It certainly does! lol! I reckon thinking more deeply about it might help to be honest. I was really unsure of my thinking at the time. Its the first time ive ever really questioned my dreams before. I didn't even remember a dream last night. Which is a first for a while now.

[IntrepidXplorer]

Hang in there M3opa, I'm having similar problems. My dream recall is just as good now, I'm still amazed how much your brain records when you're asleep, and my dreams are becoming increasingly vivid every night. What's more I actually have control over my dreams to a certain extent, last night for example I had no problems making conscious decisions on how I'm going to interact with my environment. I remember telling myself to fly, so I flew, I told myself to glide really fast, so I did, I told myself to pick up several things I saw in my dream world without problem. The environment itself and all DCs in the dream were beyond my control however, they just kept changing constantly. The downside to all of this is that none of these dreams seem real, they all still feel like normal dreams I had all my life. While I'm dreaming I still don't question it enough, I accept the dreamworld too easily without second guessing if it's a dream or not, though I constantly do it while I'm awake. So I guess the only way is to keep working on questioning reality and doing RCs, try different things and really convince yourself that you might be dreaming and try to prove it every way you can. Grats on having FAs, I'm still waiting for one of those to happen

[M3opa]

Its nice to find out I'm not the only one then. I have notice that i seem to have more control in my dreams lately as well. I made one dream, which felt like a movie, last longer because i felt it coming to an end. I did this by making a phone call i wouldn't have made otherwise. They do all feel normal to me still though as well. Its just more common that i question things going on. Cant wait to fly though as i don't ever remember flying in any of my dreams. Must be ace! its nice to speak to someone who is about the same level of dreaming as i am. You will have to let me know how things go. I'm surprised you said grats on the FA as i used to have these alot before school! I find them quite frustrating!!

[IntrepidXplorer]

Maybe because you're used to having FAs and not realizing they are, I said grats because to me it would be an achievement to actually have an FA to begin with And yes, it sounds like we're roughly at the same level, would be great to keep each other informed on how it's going :p

[JoannaB]

Yup, the experienced you are having do sound like you are very close to becoming lucid, and yes, those kinds of things do happen - I've had RC failures, and DCs alas are notorious for leading one astray although as you found out they can also at other times drop helpful hints. Continue to do what you are doing since it has brought you this far, you are likely to succeed soon. You may want to increase your expectation that RC will succeed before you do RCs because RC failure is often due to expectations of how it works in waking life leading to same result while dreaming, so if you adjust expectations to expect RC to show that you are dreaming then it is less likely to fail in dream. Best!

[stupid]

I had the same problem but i didnt do reality checks i just focused on my surroundings and the situation im in and then made decision am i dreaming or not. I find it hard to do reality checks without it looking weird. When you do reality check ask once am i dreaming then decide if it is dream or reality. You have to put a lot of focus on it when you do reality check this will bring more awareness to dream otherwise you just stay stupid mode in dream even if you realize your dreaming you dont understand it. Thats where the username came from this used to be very common problem for me.

[M3opa]

ItrepidXplorer: I'm sure the FA's will come! But i reckon they will get frustrating! lol. Sometimes there not too bad and seem quite crazy but still... annoying! You may want to increase your expectation that RC will succeed before you do RCs because RC failure is often due to expectations of how it works in waking life leading to same result while dreaming, so if you adjust expectations to expect RC to show that you are dreaming then it is less likely to fail in dream. Best! My expectations definitely need to change then! Its quite a weird concept to get used to when you don't normally question it! I will give this a try. You have to put a lot of focus on it when you do reality check this will bring more awareness to dream otherwise you just stay stupid mode in dream even if you realize your dreaming you dont understand it. Thats where the username came from this used to be very common problem for me. I had seen other posts and was curious of where the name came from! I like that though. 'stupid mode'... pure brilliance! lol

[Hishtar]

You can also try looking at a clock, looking away, and turning back to see if the time has changed. That is a nice reality check as it doesn't defy the laws of physics as they exist in waking reality. You may have the expectation that the clock will stay the same, but when you turn away from objects in your dreams they rarely do.

[IntrepidXplorer]

M3opa: I had my first FA this morning And the only reason I didn't catch it was because I've gotten too lazy to question reality! I woke up in the early morning to try WBTB, but I kept getting interrupted by various things, so eventually I gave up on doing RCs and just went straight back to WILDing whenever something interrupted me. I always check the time though and when I woke up for real I was quite shocked that time had gone backwards since the last time I woke up. Wasn't a very long FA since I pretty much fell asleep rather quickly when I tried to WILD in my FA, but it was definitely a very cool experience. I even remember hearing things that weren't there as my gf later told me when I asked her about it. On a side note, I still find it difficult to trick my body into falling asleep while my mind stays awake, I always get that heavy blanket feeling, limbs going numb and I even feel my muscles twitch involuntarily sometimes, but there's nothing else, no HI, vibrations or sounds and I can't disconnect from my physical body at all. I can't sink into bed or float out of it and any attempts at moving always result in real movement of my physical body.

[Sivason]

Be sure you then relax your mind. Go down to just repeating a few words or count to 10 over and over, plus try to feel yourself sleep like normal. This keeps you just aware enough. It tricks your body. After the body is sleeping you can slowly bring more higher thought to the surface.

[M3opa]

I had my first FA this morning That's really good news! I still have never caught my FA's but one day i'm sure i will! I always get the backwards time as well! does feel rather odd to me! On a side note, I still find it difficult to trick my body into falling asleep while my mind stays awake, I always get that heavy blanket feeling, limbs going numb and I even feel my muscles twitch involuntarily sometimes, but there's nothing else, no HI, vibrations or sounds and I can't disconnect from my physical body at all. I can't sink into bed or float out of it and any attempts at moving always result in real movement of my physical body. I have this exact same problem. The amount of times i have tried to WILD and not got any HI etc id phenomenal. And i have lay still for up to 2 hours before as well. I did have another dream the other night where i was being told by DC's that i had had this dream before in my past but, once again, i failed to pick up on this. The problem i'm having now is dream recall is up to 4 or 5 a night. This is having a big toll on the amount of sleep that i am receiving and therefore affecting the amount of details i can remember. Hopefully to counteract this i have now purchased a voice recorder to record quickly and write up later.